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Gyles Blackmont
Gyles is a severe man with severe features, a sharp jaw and an equally sharp nose. He’s shaved his head bald-- as much in defiance of the cold as to inspire his men to think he doesn’t feel it. Biography Born in 259 AA, Gyles Blackmont grew up playing in the Torrentine River, in the shadow of the Red Mountains. His youth was uneventful for a nobleborn Dornish child, even a thirdborn son such as he. Fortunately his father, Lord Ryon Blackmont, cared for all his children. As he came up, it became evident to those around young Gyles that his ambition was boundless. The boy could organize people behind him with ease, oftentimes become the leader of ever more daring actions. Lord Ryon first took notice of it when his son and several friends were collared by guardsmen trying to sneak into a brothel in the castle town. Beyond his generally innocuous ventures, young Gyles trained daily at the sword. House Blackmont were one of the strongest supporters of the Kings of the Torrentine, and as such it would no doubt fall upon he and his brothers to lead the levies of their house against the foes of their King-- with two competing kingdoms in Dorne, it was likely to occur sooner rather than later. His training progressed well, and he took to the sword with a degree of ease that became characteristic of the man. Life as a thirdborn son stifled the ambitious young Gyles, however. At the age of eighteen he began riding out and attempting to make a name for himself as a slayer of bandits, and there were no shortage of bandits in the Red Mountains. His group sought out bandit camps, became adept in hunting them, and destroyed them. They never kept count of the number of criminals they brought to justice, but they became marked men by 278 AA. It was in the campaigns against the bandits that Gyles earned his knighthood. Restless, however, Gyles grew tired of slaying petty criminals on the side of the road. In 280 AA he passed control of the growing band of bandit-slayers to a lieutenant and returned to Blackmont. His father grew ill, leaving his eldest sibling to prepare themself for rule. He misliked this sibling, however, and took his leave of Blackmont shortly after the passing of his father in 281 AA. Where to go, however? A Dornish knight would not be welcome in the Stormlands or the Reach, the nearest two kingdoms. The Yronwoods and the Martells would love nothing more than for a noble son from the Torrentine to avail himself of their hospitality. Dorne had grown stifling, and he yearned to escape to a place where any man might make something of himself. There were two places that struck him-- Essos and the Wall. Essos would be an undesirable choice. Strange people and alien cultures, ceaseless wars and the eternal stigma of being Westerosi… none of it figured well. Perhaps he could build a sellsword company, even then-- what glory is there in that? So it was that Gyles began riding north, leaving his home behind. A man could be remade at the Wall, despite the bone-chilling cool. He arrived in the waning moons of 281 AA and took his vows in the first moon of 282 AA. Upon selection he became a Ranger, and would be assigned the Nightfort. Gyles learned much beyond the Wall. On his first rangings his mentor, a black brother called Ser Jonothor Darkwood, taught him how essential stealth could be. Out there a broken stick or rustled leaves could make the difference between returning to the Nightfort or finding yourself on the business end of a wildling spear. Over the years, Gyles would become covert. He found it was a skill with many applications. Ser Jonothor would die in an ambush in 286 AA, but it would be Gyles’ efforts to save his brother that spawned more talk. He returned with Ser Jonothor’s body and the heads of eight wildlings, which he arrayed beneath the Wall before returning through the gates. Ser Jonothor would be burnt at a funeral pyre overseen by his number-two man. In 288 AA, after six years at the Nightfort, the famed Ranger had through no small effort gained a horrid reputation amongst the Wildlings. Utilizing his skill at hunting down bandits, Gyles had gone on many rangings and burnt many villages. He did not stop at men, either-- his philosophy had become that the women and children too must perish lest the numbers of wildlings grew beyond their capability to control. Many beyond the Wall came to know that the coming of Ser Gyles Blackmont, the Knight of Night, meant utter devastation. His intimidating stature made him a larger-than-life figure amongst the men at the Nightfort. When the previous Commander of the Nightfort perished in a botched ranging, it was no contest. Gyles Blackmont became the Commander of the Nightfort. His cruel outlook on the wildlings became codified at the Nightfort as time progressed. He undertook campaigns to destroy their food sources, to set fire to the wood around them, to drive the wildlings further and further north. This relentless campaign drove many wildlings of the Haunted Forest into the arms of Hadrin Stormaxe. In 296 AA Stormaxe assembled all his might and marched on the Wall. Lord Commander Bryce Webber sallied forth to meet them, but ordered Gyles to remain behind-- something that Blackmont was unwilling to do. He wrote to his friend Ronnel Dondarrion, assembling a second host to follow the Lord Commander’s. His inclination not to remain behind proved to be prescient-- upon approaching he heard the sounds of battle, and from atop a sentinel pine he saw the Lord Commander’s men surrounded. He organized a cavalry charge, leading his sworn brothers into the rear of the wildling host and shattering it. He personally slew Hadrin Stormaxe, intervening between Lord Commander Webber and the wildling chief before the latter might kill the former. Two years on, Gyles basked in the glory of having slain the high-chief of the wildlings. His merciless rangings resumed, and his own star rose ever higher. He would no doubt submit his candidacy to lead the Night’s Watch after Lord Commander Webber died, and so he did when the time came-- and he lost to Domeric Thorne, a maimed crownlander of no consequence. He knew Thorne, of course, they had fought together at Hadrin’s Fall. While Gyles had busied himself fighting the wildlings and beheading the horde, Thorne lingered behind the Lord Commander’s shield wall and watched. The insolent little lickspittle had evidently had his head far enough up Webber’s arse that men viewed him as a worthy successor. If that weren’t bad enough, he had installed his friends in positions of power-- nepotism! Gyles spat at this idiotic process of choosing Lords Commander, returning to the Nightfort and ruminating for a fortnight on what he might do. At last it came to him, and he sent messages up and down the Wall. Meritocracy should rule, and it should no longer be that who you know is more important than what you can contribute. He would be King on the Wall, and he would cast down the rotten framework of the old Night’s Watch. Under his own rule the Night’s Watch would become something more, something improved. He would see it done, or he would die in the attempt. Timeline: 259 AA: Gyles Blackmont is born, a third son. 278 AA: Gyles begins rooting bandits out of the Red Mountains. 280 AA: Gyles abandons his bandit mission, wishing for something greater. 281 AA: Gyles gives up on Dorne, and rides to the one place he believes he can make something of himself. 282 AA: Gyles arrives at the Wall, takes his vows, and becomes a Nightfort Ranger. 286 AA: Gyles’ mentor, Ser Jonothor Darkwood, is killed. Gyles initiates his ruthless campaign against the wildlings. 288 AA: Gyles ascends to command of the Nightfort after the prior Lord Commander is killed in a botched ranging 296 AA: Gyles saves the Night’s Watch at the Battle of Hadrin’s Fall. 298 AA: Domeric Thorne becomes the new Lord Commander, much to Gyles’ anger. After what he views as corruption and nepotism run rampant, he declares himself King on the Wall. Supporting Characters: Ser Waymar of the Neck- Cavalry General Ser Waymar came to the Wall a killer, but that did not deter Gyles Blackmont from seeing his talents for what they were. Ser Waymar was a gifted rider of horses, a man that could control a steed very well. At Hadrin’s Fall Gyles handed over command of the cavalry to Ser Waymar when he sought out Hadrin, and was not disappointed. Galbart - General A stouter fighter might not be seen than one found in the North. Galbart, lowborn though he was, grew up brawling. When he got caught fighting some lord’s boy, he was given that ages-old choice: go to the Wall or lose your head. Wisely, Galbart chose the latter. His pugnacious attitude endeared him to Gyles Blackmont, who placed him in command of the foot at the Nightfort. Boros - Navigator A veteran ranger, Boros knows the Gift, the Wall, and the lands beyond better than any man in the Nightfort. He has quickly arisen to be one of Gyles’ lieutenants, a man whose usefulness is belied by his generally silent demeanor. Ser Kevan Swyft - Bastion Ser Kevan Swyft is not known for his prowess with a sword, nor for his skill at riding a horse. His expertise comes from his complete intransigence. Be it in an argument-- he claims never once to have backed down from a point, and true to form has never once given ground to that claim-- or in combat, Ser Kevan does not run. Cleos Paege- Medic Growing up in the marshy Neck, Cleos became rather skilled at healing. One could get any number of nasty infections from an untreated cut where he grew up. His talents applied in the Night’s Watch, as well, though it took time for him to learn. When men need patching-up, they look for the Riverman. Matthos - Warrior (Swords) Gyles liked to think he had no equal with a blade, and repeated victories oftentimes reinforced this belief. That is, until he met a young ranger named Matthos. Matthos didn’t speak much of home, many believed him to be a Stormlander. What Gyles knew, however, was that the boy had a special talent with a sword. When on rangings, he would always want Matthos behind him. Category:The Night's Watch Category:The Wall Category:Beyond the Wall Category:King Category:Dornish Category:House Blackmont